Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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Item THE ROLE OF SIBLINGS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL RACIAL SOCIALIZATION AND OUTCOMES IN TRANSRACIAL ADOLESCENT ADOPTEES(2020) Lee, Jennifer Grace; Leslie, Leigh A; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Siblings are the longest relationship many people have in their lives, yet are often overlooked in research. Transracial adoptees, who may struggle with forming a sense of racial identity and experiencing low self-esteem, may benefit from the presence of a sibling of color. The research questions posed by this study are 1) What is the independent effect of having a sibling of color for transracial adolescent adoptees' racial identity and self-esteem? 2) Does having a sibling of color moderate the well-established relationship between parental racial socialization and outcomes of racial identity and self-esteem in transracial adoptees? Results of the present study indicated that having a sibling of color was negatively associated with a transracial adolescent adoptees’ self-esteem and having a sibling of color moderated the relationship between racial socialization and self-esteem. Higher racial socialization was associated with lower self-esteem for adoptees with no sibling of color.Item Invisible Identities: The Selective Racialization of Iranian Students(2020) Sabihi, Samantha Sama; Kelly, Bridget T; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Southwest Asian and North Africans (SWANAs) are racially marked as white in the United States, despite their negative representation in the media resulting in their marginalization, similar to other Communities of Color (Tehranian, 2009). This study specifically focuses on the experience of second generation Iranian immigrants due to their religious, ethnic, and linguistic diversity; the timing of their parents’ mass migration to the U.S.; the increased political tension between Iran and the U.S.; and, because of an Aryan myth perpetuated by first generation Iranians who perceive themselves as white (Maghbouleh, 2017). Little research exists to highlight the discriminatory experiences of SWANAs, or Iranians, with a racial lens as opposed to a religious one. Even fewer studies explore this in the context of higher education. This study explores the messaging second generation Iranians receive from their parents, peers, institutions such as universities, and society about their racial identity. This research relies on John Tehranian’s (2009) conceptual framework, selective racialization, which views racialization as the sum of actions occurring from systemic and individual levels. This study is guided by the following questions: (1) What messages do second generation Iranians receive about their racial identity? (2) How do they respond to these messages? (3) How do they perceive the university playing a role in their racial identity development, if at all? Using a critical constructivist epistemology (Kincheloe, 2005) and a narrative inquiry methodology, this study interviewed how five second generation Iranian immigrants understood and navigated their racial identity. Participants shared different messaging they received at the interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. These messages had impacts on their visibility which depended on their representation, cultural retention, and their proximity to whiteness. This study concludes with implications for both research and practice based on detailed findings provided by participants.Item Managing my Racial Identity at Work: The When, Why, and How of Racial Identity-based Impression Management in Organizations(2019) Wheeler, Jasmine; Gelfand, Michele; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the past 10 years, burgeoning research has merged social identity theory and impression management theory to examine how individuals manage their distinct social identities such as race (Roberts, 2005; Roberts, Settles, Jellison, 2008; Robert sand Cha, 2014). This extension of impression management theory is especially relevant for Black employees who are often stigmatized because of their racial group membership and must determine the extent to which they either express or suppress their racial identity at work. Therefore, this research seeks to understand when, how, and why Black employees engage in racial identity-based impression management (RIM) and the organizational outcomes related to using these strategies. Additionally, this research seeks to understand majority group reactions to minorities RIM strategy use. Therefore, RIM strategy use was examined across four studies. Qualitative interviews and a construct validation study revealed two forms of RIM, Passive (distancing strategy) and Active (expressive strategy), in study 1. Study 2 revealed that diversity climate and racial centrality interact to predict Active RIM. Black employees whose race is central to them were more likely to engage in Active RIM in positive climates for diversity. Active RIM strategy use also interacted with racial centrality to predict authenticity at work. When race was less central to their identity, Black employees felt less authentic engaging in Active RIM. In turn, authenticity was found to predict important job outcomes such as satisfaction and stress. An experimental follow-up study revealed that diversity climate did not affect RIM strategy use among Black employees, however Black employees evaluated organizations more favorably in terms of diversity climate and were more interest a pursuing a job with an organization described as having a positive climate for diversity. Lastly, in study 4, majority group members evaluated Black employees differently as a function of an organization’s diversity climate and a target’s RIM strategy, due to perceived norm violation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Item “What Are We?” A Narrative Study of the “Trickiness” of Identity for Asian American College Students(2018) Kim, Yoolee Choe; Park, Julie J.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Asian Americans are a significant and growing population in U.S. higher education, yet their positionality within the U.S. racial landscape has often been unclear. Acknowledged as neither Black nor White, Asian Americans have occupied an often marginalized yet nonetheless racialized position, which has disguised much of their lived experience as racial beings. This study sought to understand how Asian American college students see themselves as racial beings by exploring the role and salience of race and its intersections with other social identities. Using intersectionality as a theoretical framework, this narrative inquiry study was guided by the following research questions: (a) how do Asian American college students describe and make meaning of their racial identity; (b) in what ways, if any, do their other social identities, such as gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability status, socioeconomic class, and immigrant generation status, interact with the way Asian American college students describe and make meaning of their racial identity; and (c) how do Asian American college students experience the intersections of their multiple social identities? Following in-depth interviews with four Asian American college students representing a range of identity backgrounds, individual narratives were written for each participant, telling the story of how they came to make meaning of their racial identity, other salient identities, and their intersections. A metanarrative was then generated based on the commonalities of participants’ stories. Through these narratives, the lived experiences of Asian Americans as racial beings were centered. For these four participants, identifying as Asian American was a conscious choice whose meaning was created through reflection on experiences with race, often in conjunction with intersecting identities. Systems of power, oppression, and privilege acted upon those intersections and indelibly shaped the way participants made meaning of their identities, as illuminated by intersectional analysis. The study’s findings indicate paths for future research on Asian American identity development, particularly using critical theoretical perspectives that foreground the influence of systems of power and oppression. The findings also suggest implications for supporting Asian American students and for developing and integrating intersectional approaches in order to create more socially just and inclusive institutions.Item BLACK, MALE, AND HIGH-ACHIEVING: AN EXAMINATION OF A RISK FACTOR AND CULTURAL RESOURCES FOR BLACK MALE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT(2016) Davis, BreAnna; Smith Bynum, Mia; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Black boys are confronted with unique educational circumstances. They are often misdiagnosed and misplaced into special education programs (Bush-Daniels, 2008; Patton, 1998; Terman et al., 1996). Additionally, they are less likely to be enrolled in gifted and talented programs, even if their former achievements reflect their aptitude to succeed (Black Alliance for Educational Options, n.d.; Moore & Flowers, 2012). Given these statistics, a considerable emphasis has been placed on the causes and the consequences of low/under achievement for this population. As a result, the experiences of Black males who are achieving have been greatly neglected. Moreover, little is known about the factors that facilitate academic achievement among high-achieving Black boys. In an effort to bring the heterogenic nature of schooling experiences for Black boys to light, the present study examined the influence risk and protective factors had on the academic experiences of high-achieving Black boys. Grounded in the risk and resilience framework and the Integrative Model for the Study of Minority Youth Development, this study explored whether the high-achieving Black high school boys in this sample (n =88) reported experiencing discrimination (i.e. academic-based) and how this academic-based discrimination related to their 1) academic performance (i.e. GPA), 2) perceptions of math ability, and 3) race-based academic self-concept. In addition to exploring how academic-based discrimination was linked to academic achievement, this study examined how cultural resources such as racial socialization messages and racial identity related to academic achievement. Specifically, cultural socialization, preparation for bias, egalitarianism, private regard and public regard were evaluated alongside the three academic outcomes under study. Finally, the study explored whether aspects of racial socialization or racial identity buffered the effects of discrimination on any of the outcomes. Interestingly, the race/ethnicity of the student mattered for how students perceived their math ability. The risk factor academic-based discrimination was linked to academic performance. Cultural resources cultural socialization, preparation for bias, and private regard were linked to various academic outcomes of interest. There was only one significant moderating effect: a high private regard buffered the relationship between academic-based discrimination and race-based academic self-concept. Limitations and implications of this study are discussed.Item The Influence of Parental Racial Awareness on Transracially Adopted Children's Self-Esteem: A Mediation Model of Racial Socialization and Racial Identity(2013) Ott, Elizabeth Marie; Leslie, Leigh; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Recent years have seen an increased empirical focus on factors that affect the health and well–being of transracially adopted children. While there is significant research on the links between parental racial socialization and racial identity, racial identity and self–esteem of children, and self–esteem of transracially adopted children, there is less research on the links between all of these variables as a holistic model. The current study explores whether parental racial awareness impacts transracially adopted children’s self–esteem through a mediation of parental racial socialization and child racial identity. Seventy–one adoptive parents and their transracially adopted adolescents completed on–line self–reports of the study variables. Findings indicate no relationship between any of the independent, dependent, or mediating variables. Subsequently, a test of moderation was completed to determine if parental racial socialization moderated the relationship between parental racial awareness and child racial identity. This also had no significant results. The possible explanations for the lack of relationships in this sample are discussed.Item RACIAL SOCIALIZATION AS A PREDICTOR OF ADOLESCENT RACIAL IDENTITY: IS GENDER A MODERATOR?(2012) Davis, BreAnna; Smith Bynum, Mia; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The current study examined the role of gender in the relationship between racial socialization and racial identity among 133 African American adolescents (44% boys, 56% girls). Two dimensions of racial socialization, cultural socialization and preparation for coping with racial bias were evaluated alongside two dimensions of racial identity (centrality and private regard). Results revealed that messages focused on cultural pride and alertness to discrimination were both linked to private regard. Surprisingly, none of the messages predicted racial centrality. Against expectations, gender did not moderate relationships between racial socialization and racial identity. Considerations for the development and use of gendered racial socialization measures are provided.Item "Haikus in the Subway": Understanding Student Meaning-Making of an Alternative Spring Break Trip(2009) Hui, Sarah Mei-Yen; Jones, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this constructivist case study was to investigate students' experiences on an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip and the meaning students made of the experience. The research questions guiding the study were: (a) What did students learn about themselves and others through their participation; (b) How did students' social identities interact with the contexts of the ASB immersion location and influence their experiences? In-depth data collection involved multiple sources of information, including post-trip semi-structured interviews, participant journals, and participant-observations. Data was analyzed through the constant comparison of data sources and analysis as themes emerged. Eleven participants and I traveled to Chicago during a week-long ASB experience focusing on affordable housing. Findings from this study include: (1) the intense immersion context of the trip and resulting disorientation and detachment; (2) the connections and complexities uncovered through interactions with community members, peers on the trip, and new perspectives; (3) a more complicated view of race in relation to the social issue and peer interactions; and (4) the challenges of reentry upon returning home.Item THE RELATIONSHIPS OF RACIAL IDENTITY AND GENDER-ROLE CONFLICT TO SELF-ESTEEM OF ASIAN AMERICAN UNDERGRADUATE MEN(2005-05-27) Shek, Yen Ling; McEwen, Marylu K; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this quantitative, correlational, online study was to examine the relationships of racial identity and gender-role conflict to self-esteem of Asian American undergraduate men (N = 173). Instruments included the People of Color Racial Identity Attitude Scale, Gender-Role Conflict Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Random samples were drawn from two large public research institutions on the East and West coasts. The two samples were combined because there were no significant differences in self-esteem by location of institution. Through blocked, hierarchical multiple regression analysis, 36.8% of the variance in self-esteem (p < .001) was explained by gender-role conflict subscales and racial identity statuses. Three subscales were found to be significant (p<.05) predictors of self-esteem: Restrictive Emotionality, Dissonance, and Internalization. Implications were that mature racial identity development and critical analysis of traditional gender-roles were important for the development of self-esteem of Asian American undergraduate men.